Your Side of the Carriage
by wildflowerwriter
Summary: It was a simple request, really. Seven years of the Hogwarts Express with Rose Weasley and Scorpius Malfoy. One-shot.


**Honestly, I forgot about this story. I wrote it ages ago, but then I was looking through the stories I have saved to my laptop when I found this and thought, "Hey, with some revision, this could be pretty good." I'm pretty pleased with the end result, and I hope you enjoy it!**

 **Also, I don't own Harry Potter or anything associated with the series.**

* * *

Rose couldn't help but glare a little bit when the blonde boy from the station walked past her carriage on the Hogwarts Express. Her mother had told her to be kind to the Malfoy boy, but she found it difficult. At 11, she had quite mastered the skill of eavesdropping, whether to find out a secret her parents kept from her, or what she might be getting for Christmas that year. And she had certainly heard about the Malfoys. Her parents worked at the Ministry with a man named Draco, who they had gone to school with and evidently hated. She heard the stories about the war, and she heard the stories about how the Malfoy family tortured her parents. And so when the boy with platinum blonde hair looked at her through the carriage door, she tossed her red hair and turned her gaze out the window to the country side. A few moments later, the door slid open.

"This carriage is full," she said, not bothering to look towards the person she knew would be standing there.

"You're the only one in here," he replied. She was surprised, his voice was calm and soothing. He definitely didn't sound like he came from a family of murderers.

"Yes."

"So it can't be full then, can it?" Rose could tell he wouldn't back down. After all, she used the exact same tone when she wouldn't take no for an answer.

She grudgingly turned to face him. "Why do you want to sit here so badly?"

"Because you're sitting alone. And if I don't sit in here, then I'll be sitting alone too. So if I sit here, then neither of us has to be lonely." Rose remained silent, so he seemed to take that as an invitation to sit down across from her. "I'm Scorpius."

"I'm Rose," she responded, her gaze already drifting back to the window.

"So it's okay if I sit here?"

"Fine. But stay on your side of the carriage."

* * *

Rose hauled her bags behind her onto the train after kissing her parents and brother goodbye. She found an empty compartment and walked inside, flinging her luggage onto the seat before sitting down and pulling a book from her suitcase. It was her mother's copy of _Hogwarts, a History_ , and had her notes and annotations throughout it. She had just begun to read when the carriage door opened again and a blonde boy walked in.

"Hello Rose," a familiar voice said.

"Scorpius," she answered without looking up.

"What are you reading?" he asked, stepping closer and reaching out to better read the title of the book, but Rose swatted his hand away.

" _Hogwarts, a History._ Stay on your side of the carriage."

* * *

Rose walked onto the train with Hugo close behind her. He was understandably nervous, despite the reassurances from both his parents and Rose. He followed her as she walked through the train to her normal compartment, then opened the door. Surprisingly, Scorpius had gotten there before her.

"Hey Rose. Is that your brother?"

"Hi Scorpius. And yeah, this is –"

"I'm Hugo," her younger brother interrupted. "And I can introduce myself on my own."

Scorpius grinned while Rose looked taken aback. She sat down across from Scorpius, and Hugo sat down next to her.

"So, Rose, am I allowed to talk to your brother?" Scorpius asked.

Rose rolled her eyes. "You can do what you want I suppose. But stay on your side of the carriage."

* * *

Hugo had chosen to go sit with his friends when they boarded the train for his second year, and asked why Rose didn't go sit with her friends as well. Sure, Rose had friends, but she also knew that she would be sharing a dormitory with most of the girls she was friends with, and she figured that she could use the train ride to herself. Or almost to herself.

Scorpius walked into the compartment and flopped down on the seat opposite her. "Hi Rose. Where's your brother?"

"Hi Scorpius. Hugo is off with his friends, off doing whatever second-year boys do."

"Well if that's the case, then you need to listen to me because I have a story to tell. So our house-elf, Leesy –"

"Hang on, wait a second. You have a house-elf? Do you know what kind of cruel lives they're forced to lead? Scorpius Malfoy, I am DISGUSTED –"

"Rose calm down. She's paid. She worked for my mom's family, and when my mom inherited her, she gave her clothes to free her. Thing is, Leesy just started bawling her eyes out. She didn't want to leave and stop working for us. So she still lives in our house and works for us, but we pay her. She's happy. I can summon her here if you want proof."

Rose narrowed her eyes. "I trust you, but…"

Scorpius sighed and muttered something under his breath, and with a crack, a house elf appeared in the middle of the compartment. She was dressed in a colorful assortment of clothes, with an oversized red sweater, what appeared to be a pair of blue boxers, two different socks (one purple, one orange), a black and white striped beanie (with holes cut in allowing her ears to protrude), and one glove, which she wore on her left hand. She turned to look at Scorpius, a bewildered look on her face.

"Master Scorpius, have you forgotten something already? Do I need to fetch it for you?" she squeaked.

"No Leesy, everything is fine. My friend Rose just wanted to meet you. And I've told you, you don't need to call me Master."

Leesy turned around, and her eyes lit up when she say the redheaded girl on the other side of the carriage. "Master Scorpius talks lots about you!" She exclaimed, reaching over to pick up Rose's hand and holding it gently. She looked back at Scorpius. "She is very pretty," Leesy whispered not-so-quietly.

Scorpius blushed furiously, and Rose fought back a giggle. "Um, thanks Leesy," he stammered. "You can go now, sorry for keeping you."

Leesy winked at Rose before vanishing, and after she had gone, Rose burst into laughter. Scorpius' blush deepened. "Oh, shut up Rose."

He leaned forward as if to cover her mouth with his hand, but she swatted it out of the air. Gasping for breath, she finally managed to say, "Stay on your side of the carriage."

* * *

Their fifth year, a girl who Rose recognized as Emma Wells, a fourth year, walked in with Scorpius.

"Rose, you don't mind if Emma joins us, right?" Scorpius asked. Before she could answer, he added, "We'll stay on my side of the carriage."

Rose buried her nose in a book and pretended she didn't see them snogging.

* * *

Rose sniffled and angrily wiped the tears from her eyes. She had planned on surprising Daniel, her boyfriend since the winter holidays, by surprising him at his compartment. And while she had definitely surprised him, it wasn't in her original plan to walk in on him snogging Kelsey Davidson. The door to the compartment slid open, and Rose tucked her legs up to her chest and buried her face in her knees.

"Rose? You alright?"

"Go away Scorpius."

She felt a weight settle next to her, and an arm wrapped around her shoulders.

"I said go away, Scorpius."

"Just tell me if you're okay, then I'll leave you alone."

Rose was prepared to insist that she was most definitely alright, but the image of Daniel with Kelsey seemed to be seared into her brain, and the tears began again.

She finally managed to tell Scorpius what was going on, and he was livid.

"I'm going to hex him so badly he'll be unrecognizable," Scorpius said, standing up suddenly. Rose raised her head and grabbed his arm, forcing him to sit back down.

"If anyone gets to hex him, it's me," she replied.

Scorpius grinned, and Rose smiled too, despite the tears still rolling down her cheeks. He put his arm back around her shoulders when her tears started again.

"I just don't believe it," she cried.

"Neither do I, Rose," he answered.

She could feel herself falling asleep against him as he wiped the tears from her cheeks, and she murmured something indistinct.

"I know Rose, I'll get back to my side of the carriage."

* * *

Their seventh year, Rose and Scorpius walked onto the Hogwarts Express and into their compartment hand in hand. Rose set her luggage down, and Scorpius did the same before moving to sit opposite of her.

"What in the name of Merlin are you doing?" she asked.

"I'm staying on my side of the carriage, the way you always ask me to," Scorpius responded.

Rose laughed and patted the seat next to her, gesturing for Scorpius to join her. "A girl can change her mind, can't she?"

Scorpius sighed and rolled his eyes, but he obliged, smiling as he sat down by Rose, draping one arm across her shoulders.

"Hey Scorpius?"

"Yes Rose?"

She kissed his cheek. "I like it when you sit on my side of the carriage."

* * *

 **Thoughts?**

 **I have a partial draft for a long version of this story that I'll publish if anyone is interested, so let me know!**


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